The 17 year old is set to take on the historic event this weekend.
By Hayden Gregory
The Hattah Desert race is known for being extremely physical and demanding. Held south of Mildura, the eight lap course can test even the most elite riders and is no doubt daunting for the Taree youngster.
“I haven’t raced Hattah before but I know it’s going to be tough,” Ruprecht said. “With that in mind and to prepare as best I could I’ve been testing with my mechanic, Dave Suter, this week. The track we’ve been riding on is as gnarly as it gets and we’ve got the bike sitting really well.
Ruprecht will represent the Motul Pirelli Sherco Factory Team as a sole rider after Justin Carafa and Sam Davie were ruled out with injury.
“It’s a shame Sam Davie is injured but he’s been on hand with testing to show me some desert tricks of the trade. I dropped lap times just from Sam’s advice which is great,” Wil commented.
Ruprecht will not only be favourite for the under 19’s class but a realistic contender for overall honours.
Sherco team mechanic, Dave Suter is very confident in Ruprecht and his factory 450SEF-R.
“Wil is a fit and strong rider and we’ve built him a bike that’s capable of winning,” he said. “We just need to maximise opportunities with slick pit stops and keeping Wil comfortable when the track gets rough late in the race. I’m really excited to see Wil in action.”
The Hattah Desert Race will begin on Friday afternoon with scrutineering and bike display before the Prologue on Saturday and main race kicking off 9:30am Sunday morning.
